Southern Ohio Medical Center

SOMC Ranked First Among Ohio’s Best Employers

April 16, 2008 » Southern Ohio Medical Center has been named the Number One Best Employer in Ohio. This third annual program was created by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Manufacturers’ Education Council, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) – Ohio State Council, Ohio Matters, and Best Companies Group.

“We are honored to be named to this list again this year, and to be ranked first,” SOMC CEO Randy Arnett said. “The selection is based largely on the survey of our own employees and their view of SOMC. The fact that we scored so well says a lot about SOMC as a quality employer and a great place to work.”

Earlier this year, SOMC was named to the Fortune 100 Best Places To Work In America, in an intense review that also was based largely on feedback from employees. Also in January SOMC was named a Magnet Hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, an honor for excellence in patient care given to less than 4 percent of hospitals nationwide.

The Ohio survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the Best Employers in Ohio, benefiting the state’s economy, its workforce and businesses. The list is made up of 20 companies split into two categories: 10 small/medium-sized companies (25-249 employees) and 10 large-sized companies (250 and more employees). SOMC has been ranked first among this year’s Best Employers in Ohio in the large category, and is on the list for the third consecutive year.

Honorees and their rank order in the large-sized company category were: SOMC, Edward Jones, The CareWorks Family of Companies, InfoCision Management Corporation, SS&G Financial Services, Inc., EMP Management Group, Ltd., Firelands Regional Medical Center, VSP- Vision Service Plan, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and Marietta Memorial Hospital.

To be considered for participation, companies had to fulfill eligibility requirements including being a for-profit, not-for-profit business or government entity; being a publicly or privately held business; having a facility in Ohio; having at least 25 employees in Ohio; and being in business a minimum of one year.

Companies from across the state entered the two-part survey process to determine the Best Employers in Ohio. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure their experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Ohio with assistance from ModernThink LLC, who analyzed the data and determined the final rankings.

The actual rankings were announced at an awards ceremony April 15 and published in Ohio Matters. For more information on the Best Employers in Ohio program, visit www.BestEmployersOH.com.

SOMC named to FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work For”

January 22, 2008 » Working to recruit the most talented professionals in the nation, Southern Ohio Medical Center has been identified by FORTUNE Magazine as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For.” SOMC is ranked 75th nationwide on the list, which appears in the magazine’s February 4 issue, available on newsstands January 28 and at www.fortune.com on January 22.

“Attaining this honor, along with our recent nursing Magnet recognition status, helps us recruit and retain the best medical professionals in the nation,” Vicki Noel, vice president of Human Resources at SOMC, said.

“This award means that our employees are very happy to work here, care about the organization and are most likely to provide better patient care.”

Noel added that the award is based on a detailed review of an organization’s workplace, along with the opinions of the employees.

“As with our recent Magnet recognition status, it is uplifting for an organization in our community to receive such an honor,” Randy Arnett, president and CEO of SOMC, said. “It only further proves that SOMC houses some of the best employees in our nation.”

The judging was based largely on random survey of SOMC employees, along with an examination of certain SOMC workplace attributes such as camaraderie, fairness, credibility, pride and respect, Noel explained.

SOMC was evaluated against various organizations across the United States including large corporations and other health care organizations, she said.

In the next few weeks, SOMC will receive a feedback report and the ranking of the organization based on data accumulated from the evaluation process. Noel said SOMC is always searching for methods of gathering information to make adjustments and improvements in work life.

“Listening to our employees is important” she said. “Based on feedback from our employees, through surveys and other methods such as this, we have made changes to make SOMC a great place to work. We continue to listen and learn from those who make the greatest impact – our SOMC team.”